Distress Signal: Popcorn
by littlespider
Summary: Ruzek-centric one shots set during Season 2. Featuring lots of Ruzek whump, Ruzek/Olinksy partner bromance, and some light Burzek.
1. Call it Macaroni

**2x01 "Call it Macaroni" -** Because Al checking on Ruzek was too cute an opportunity to miss. Also, I like Trudy Platt.

Disclaimer: Chicago P.D. belongs to Dick Wolf, the procedural genius himself.

* * *

 _"Yo, what're we thinkin' for lunch? Mexican, Chinese, burgers? I'm good with anything but sushi, alright, I had a bad experience once and let's just leave it at that."_

 _"What happened, did you get sick eating it or something?"_

 _"Yeah, you know what, anytime somebody says they had a bad experience with sushi it's safe to assume they got sick from it. All in sick, you know what I'm saying?"_

 _"Maybe you choked on it."_

A sudden crashing sound had everyone in the armored van turning to look out the rear windows, Ruzek included. He frowned slightly to see the SUV Voight and Antonio had been following him in pinned against several parked cars and partially bent inwards from the impact of a tricked out pickup truck. He tried to keep his expression neutral. Upfront, the van's driver reached for his radio.

"Better call it in."

"Yep." Before Adam could register what was happening, the guard in the passenger seat pulled his weapon and fired once at the driver, knocking him back and sending blood splattering against the window from the new hole in his head.

"Shit!" Ruzek ducked down and yanked on the heavy van door before throwing himself out onto the cement. A bullet pierced the ground inches from his hand. "Popcorn, popcorn, popcorn!"

Ruzek could hear the screeching of tires in his earpiece as the rest of his team sped towards him, but then a red SUV pulled up and his heart thudded sharply in his chest, adrenaline pumping. He let off a couple of shots, one at the van he'd escaped from and another two at the red SUV before scrambling around a parked car for cover. He'd almost made it safely around the grey sedan when he felt a punching sensation in the lower back of his vest. Grunting from the impact, Ruzek threw himself further behind the cover of the sedan and landed hard in the street on his stomach.

Out of the corner of his eye, Ruzek could see the rest of his team materializing, Olinksy and Atwater screeching to a halt and immediately engaging, Halstead deadly with one of the long guns. Despite the spasming in his back from the impact, Ruzek himself was still able to get off another series of shots, clipping one of the masked gunmen in the chest. The man went down hard and Atwater moved in to secure him.

"Ruzek!"

Adam could barely hear Olinsky's call over the screeching of tires as the perps took off and Jay continued to engage until they were out of range. The scruffy detective emerged at Ruzek's side and hovered momentarily, as if assessing whether or not it was a good idea to move him. "You get hit?"

Rolling himself over with a low groan, Adam held out his hand. "Just get me up, will ya? I gotta get this plate number down before I forget."

* * *

"So, second car came rollin' up, guns blazin'. I took cover, returned fire. The van was clear in about 30 seconds. They took off." Adam informed Voight and Commander Perry, walking them through the scene. "I got the plate numbers but they came back bogus."

"We're real close on getting an ID on this guy," Voight added once they came to a halt over the gunmen Ruzek had managed to take out. The sergeant then gave Ruzek a quick once over. "You okay kid?"

Ruzek shrugged. His back throbbed rhythmically, the sensation increasing from discomfort to actual pain with his fading adrenaline, but he didn't mention getting clipped. It was bad enough he'd been caught off guard. "Yeah, that was a little close."

Voight nodded in understanding, but the hint of a smile he gave the younger man felt like the equivalent of a gold star. As Voight and Perry moved to another party of the scene, Olinksy came closer. "How're you doing?"

Ruzek sighed. If there was anyone he felt he could be straight with, it was Olinksy. Without Ruzek even knowing it, the older man had become a father figure to Adam. "I feel a little stupid. They got the jump on me, Al."

Olinksy shook his head slightly, opting to examine his young partner rather than answer. "You sure you're okay, man?"

Alvin was actually looking at Ruzek's clothes, and Adam realized it would be fruitless to try and hide it from the other man. "I may have caught one in the vest, somewhere in the back. I don't think it did any real damage, though."

"Yeah, how 'bout I get to be the judge of that?" Olinksy replied shortly, forcing himself to refrain from smacking Ruzek upside the head. Seriously, the young man was like a walking danger magnet. It had only taken Olinksy one up close look at Adam and the paleness of his face to figure out that the officer hadn't escaped his close call as unscathed as he would like everyone else to think.

And there it was, a single bullet hole in the back of Adam's uniform shirt. Moving the fabric out of the way, Alvin gently fingered the small puncture towards the bottom of Adam's vest. He didn't even need it to move the vest to confirm the damage; the growing stain on red in Adam's white undershirt was evidence enough.

"Okay, I'm gonna need you to stay calm, but you have a bullet in your back." Olinksy commented, keeping his voice as calm and normal as he could.

Adam stiffened slightly, his face tensing into a frown. "What? But I don't-"

"Easy now, no sudden movements. Trust me, you'll feel it when all that adrenaline finally wears off. It looks like it penetrated your vest right above your kidney." Alvin knelt down, pulling the vest away from Ruzek's back slightly to get a better look. "Yeah, there it is."

Olinksy could feel Adam tensing beneath his hands, a slight tremor in his frame the only indicator that the pain was starting to win out over the rush of the previous events. The older detective stood and gripped Adam's shoulders to both give some level of comfort and also to steer him towards the ambulance they'd called for the now deceased perp.

"Hey, Adam, you okay?" Lindsay asked, materializing out of seemingly nowhere with a look of concern on her face. When Adam failed to respond beyond blinking at her, the female detective turned to Olinksy. "Al?"

"He's hit and he might be going into shock, but he's gonna be alright," Olinksy replied in his trademark soft voice. "Tell Voight we're gonna commandeer the bus and the dead body can wait for the coroner."

Now Lindsay looked really concerned, but she nodded. "You're going with him to the hospital?"

"I'll call as soon as I know anything."

* * *

"How's Ruzek?"

Alvin sighed, shifting uncomfortably in the hard, plastic waiting room chair. "He's still in surgery. They said he got lucky. The vest took the most of it, slowed down the bullet enough that the damage isn't too serious."

Voight sighed in relief on the other end of the call. "Good. Look, I need you to go shake down Bembenek. See if you can spook him."

"Alright." Olinksy stood and stretched slightly. "I'll see if Platt can send someone down to wait on Ruzek."

* * *

When Ruzek finally came around, he laid still for a few minutes, taking stock. His tongue felt heavy in his mouth and the world in general felt a little hazy. He blinked at the dull white of the ceiling; hospital. That's right, he'd been shot, he was at the hospital.

"You gonna lay there blinking all day, or do you want some ice chips?"

That voice got Adam's attention. Trying to shift around in the bed, Adam's face furrowed in confusion. "Sarge?"

Sure enough, Sergeant Trudy Platt sat at Adam's bedside, candy bar and tv remote in one hand, a cup of ice chips in the other. Despite her sarcastic tone, Platt's expression betrayed her relief at seeing her officer awake. "Hey there, pretty boy. How're you feeling?"

"I-" Adam blinked again, still trying to figure out what his desk sergeant was doing there. "I think they have me on morphine."

Platt snorted. "I think they do. Not gonna lie to you, you had me a little worried."

"Aw, Sarge, you do care." Adam quipped, starting to feel a little more with it.

"You were brought in with a bullet lodged in your back, just above your kidney. They said the surgery was routine but just because you like to be difficult and put a cramp in my day, you developed an infection." Platt glared at Adam. "So hell yeah, I care."

Adam allowed himself a small smile before ducking his head in apologetic embarrassment. "If it helps at all, I didn't wake up this morning intending to get shot."

"That actually doesn't help at all," Platt informed him. But she too was feeling a bit embarrassed about her unusual disclosure of concern and took the opportunity to change the subject. "So, is there a reason old man Olinksy is your emergency contact and not Burgess?"

Adam groaned, covering his face with one hand. There were so many reasons he didn't want to be having this conversation right now. "Oh man, Kim is going to kill me."

Platt nodded in agreement before offering up the cup again. "Ice chips?"


	2. Prison Ball

**2x06 - Prison Ball** \- Atwater thanks Ruzek for having his back and learns that claustrophobia is not something to be laughed at.

* * *

"Get your hands off me man, you can't put me in here. You don't understand, you don't understand!"

Regardless of how hard Ruzek struggled, Wright had an iron grip and managed to force Ruzek into the waiting cell. As both big guards blocked his only escape route, the undercover officer decided to try a different tactic.

"Alright, listen, let me make a phone call, one phone call."

Parish shook his head. "If you didn't want to lose your privileges, you shouldn't have started that fight."

"One phone call, that's all I'm asking. Just one phone call!"

He took a short step forward but it was of no use; Wright simply slammed one thick fist into Ruzek's already tender torso. A sharp pain lanced through his ribcage and Ruzek found himself on the ground, glaring up at the men he might consider his fellow officers any other day.

"Don't make me repeat myself," Parish warned.

Ruzek sucked in a breath, momentarily forgetting that in this situation, the blue-shirted men had all the power. Looking in disgust up at Wright, Adam couldn't help himself. "You son of a bi - augh!"

If Wright's fist had been bad, his knee was ten times worse; Ruzek swore he could feel at least one rib give way in protest. He groaned, slumping back against the dirty bunk. "Okay, a'right, a'right, a'right."

One breath at a time, he told himself, panting through the pain. When he had collected himself somewhat, Ruzek tried again. "Let me see Herrera."

Parish and Wright exchanged a look. "Uh, what did you say?"

"Herrera, the guard, tell him I'm here, man." Ruzek allowed some desperation to leak into his expression; if he was honest, that's exactly how he was feeling. "Please."

* * *

Ruzek pressed his face up against the tiny window in the door, straining to see if either Parish or Wright had come back. "Come on, come on."

No such luck. Turning and smacking the wall in frustration, Ruzek couldn't contain himself any longer. "You gotta let me outta here!"

"God…" Sinking down on the grubby mattress, Ruzek rubbed absentmindedly at his aching ribcage. He was sure he hadn't been in here longer than an hour or so, but he could already feel the walls closing in on him. His heart beat loudly in his ears against the otherwise stifling silence of the miniature cell. Closing his eyes, Ruzek took a couple of deep breaths.

 _You're alone, there's no way out. Nobody knows where you are, nobody cares. Nobody's going to come looking for you..._

Ruzek's eyes flew back open, a short cry of distress escaping from his mouth. He forced himself to take another couple of deep breaths, not that they seemed to do any good. His pulse thrummed sharply in his throat.

Focus. He needed something to focus on.

Locating the sole hangnail on his right thumb, Ruzek pressed the offending digit against his lips and bit down. Hard.

* * *

"Kevin, Kevin it's over!" Antonio yelled, straining against the bigger man and finally succeeding in pushing him back.

Kevin jerked away from his coworker, rolling his shoulders and drawing himself up to his full, impressive size. Tucker looked up at him in fear from the ground. "Hell yeah, I'm a cop, you punk ass bitch! And I got you on a wire for murder!"

* * *

 _There's no way out. Nobody's coming for you. Nobody believes you. There's no way out._

Ruzek had lost all sense of time. There were three hundred and seventy two cinder bricks in the wall across from the bunk, and it took him all of five steps to get from the toilet to the door. Ruzek had chewed his thumb into a raw, bleeding mess.

"Come on, come on, let me out." Adam murmured to himself, sitting back against the wall and twitching one foot nervously.

 _There's no way out. Nobody's coming for you. There's no way out. You're going to die in here._

That was a new thought, one Ruzek didn't like at all. It tightened his chest, made it harder to breath. He could no longer hear his own heartbeat over a shrill ringing in his ears, and his hands tingled with numbness.

 _There's no way out. Nobody's coming for you. There's no way out. You're going to die in here._

Dimly, as grey spots danced across his vision, Ruzek realized that he was hyperventilating.

* * *

It was late evening by the time Atwater and Antonio had wrapped up their business at the prison. Although Parish had been willing to give them the benefit of the doubt in the moment, once the dust settled he had demanded a very thorough explanation. It had taken Atwater, Antonio, and the Warden to sort things out.

Leaning back in his chair, Parish ran a hand tiredly over his face. "Well, I can't say I really understand what happened here."

"Look, all that matters is that we couldn't have gotten our job done without your help. So thank you." Antonio credited, reaching across the table to shake hands with the still incredulous head guard.

Atwater also shook Parish's hand before standing and rolling his shoulders. He'd taken a harder beating today than he had in a long while. "So, we good? Let's grab Ruzek and roll. I don't even want to think about how much paperwork I have for this thing."

"Ruzek?" Parish questioned, looking tired. "There's another one of you?"

Antonio nodded. "Yeah, went by the name of Reynolds. He was the one who attacked Atwater in the dining hall."

"That guy definitely does not look CPD," Parish mused, shaking his head. "He should still be in solitary."

"You left him in the hole?" Antonio asked incredulously. "Even after he lead you to me and it all checked out?"

Parish stood and shrugged, reaching automatically for the keys on his belt. "Look, there's only one of me. There was no way to vet all your guys at once. Let's get him out."

Parish strode purposefully into the solitary wing with Antonio and Atwater hot on his heels. All three men ignored the prisoners surging against their tiny windows for the slightest peek at the outside work, heading straight for the cell where Ruzek had been deposited almost six hours ago. Fitting the key into the door, Parish glanced in briefly before erupting into a flurry of action.

"Damn!" The older guard threw the door open and rushed into the tiny cell, Antonio close behind. Ruzek was sitting on the floor, slumped back against the bunk. He was panting harshly as though he'd run a marathon and his whole body was shaking violently, his hands curled up in front of him.

Antonio stopped short at the sight, confused. "What's going on? Is he seizing?"

"No, panic attack," Parish replied. "Sometimes they get claustrophobic, can't take the small cells. Help me get him up, will you?"

Nodding, Antonio moved inwards to help Parish haul the shaking undercover to his feet. That's when Ruzek seemed to come back to life, surging upwards and throwing out his arms, slamming a stunned Parish down into the old metal toilet. His other elbow caught Antonio in a glancing blow to the throat, and detective fell back against the bunk, coughing harshing from the sudden impact.

"Kevin!" He managed to choke out, already rising to his feet.

Atwater surged towards the door, arms out to contain Ruzek and stop his flight. He needn't have bothered. Ruzek's head swam dizzily at the sudden change in elevation plus the oversaturation of oxygen from his increased breathing rate. He barely crossed the threshold when he tipped forward, dizzy and off balance. Atwater caught him hurriedly.

"Hey, hey, Ruzek, calm down!"

Shaking his head, Ruzek tried to fight weakly. "Nah... l-let me… go! I… I didn't…"

But Adam couldn't get a real sentence out around his gasping breaths, and Atwater held him just a little bit tighter as he sagged, his legs unable to support him. "Hey, Adam, it's Kevin. You're out, ok, you're out."

"Ngh… Kev?" Ruzek blinked several times, squinting up at Atwater. "I can't… my chest…"

"You're hyperventilating," Atwater replied calmly. "Try and slow your breathing down, or you're gonna pass out."

Ruzek nodded weakly, but his breath continued to come in sharp gasps, his face flushed and sweaty. Groaning, Parish picked himself off the cell floor. "That won't do any good. Just get him outta here."

* * *

Atwater walked around the side of the ambulance, where Ruzek was putting up a fuss about being put inside. Antonio had insisted on calling a bus after Ruzek had continued to hyperventilate and passed out while on route out of the prison. Adam had come round shortly after the paramedic's initial examination, but was refusing to allow them to put him inside the vehicle.

"Sir, we have to transfer you to the hospital for a full eval. At the very least, you need an x-ray to make sure none of those ribs are broken."

"Naw, you know what, I think I'm good." Ruzek said, pushing the blanket off his legs and trying to get up.

"Sir, you need to stay put. You were unconscious-"

"This punk givin' you guys trouble?" Atwater asked, strolling over. Ruzek looked sheepish and actually allowed the female paramedic to reposition his leg onto the gurney.

"Can you talk some sense into your friend here?" She asked. "The hospital's just a 20 minute ride away. We can even sedate him if he really wants."

Atwater nodded. "Let me talk to him for a minute."

Giving the large man a thankful look, both paramedics backed off. Ruzek sighed and looked pleadingly up at Atwater. "Don't make me get in there, man. I just spent six hours in a tiny brick box. Just because this one's metal doesn't make it any different."

Atwater felt his neck flush guiltily. This whole operation had been Kevin's idea, but in the end he never would have gotten close enough to Tucker if Ruzek hadn't been able to think on his feet. If Kevin had moved faster, Ruzek wouldn't have ended up in the box. "Look, man, you don't really have another choice. It's either you get in the ambulance or you get in Antonio's tiny little car."

Groaning, Ruzek scrubbing at his face with one hand. "Ah, fine."

"You heard what they said, they can sedate you if you want."

"Naw, I think my pride's taken a big enough hit for today, thanks," Ruzek snorted. "I'm assuming there's no way we can keep Voight from finding out about this?"

Now it was Atwater's turn to laugh. "Are you kidding? What the hell were you thinking volunteering to go under in a prison if you have claustrophobia?"

"I was thinkin' that, uh, Halstead looks like too much of a boy scout and Lindsay's charm might be too distracting. Besides, gen population wasn't so bad." Ruzek offered up sheepishly. Atwater punched him playfully in the shoulder and he sobered up slightly. "I, uh, I haven't had a panic attack like that since I was like ten. I didn't think it would… get to me like that."

Atwater sighed. "Well, I'm just glad we're all out in one piece. Thanks for havin' my back."

Ruzek nodded and the two cops clasped hands in a sincere handshake. Kevin started to walk away, before realizing there was one more thing he had to say.

"I owe you one, brother."

Reclining back against the gurney pillow, Ruzek gave a smirk. "Hell yeah, you do!"


	3. Say Her Real Name

2x17 "Say Her Real Name" -It took almost two years, but Adam Ruzek finally crossed the line.

* * *

 _Smack._

"Say her real name."

 _Smack._

"Say it."

Sergeant Hank Voight stood in the observation room, hands in his pockets as the Intelligence Unit's rookie took charge of the interrogation. As Ruzek smacked the Pope again, hard enough to send the his head back into the wall, Antonio threw Voight a look through the false mirror. The Latino detective was clearly unnerved by this shift in Ruzek and Voight himself had to admit that this was completely unexpected. Sure, Hank and Olinsky would've done probably worse than smack the guy around a little, but they were old school. Both Lindsay and Antonio had resorted to force on a few occasions, but Adam Ruzek?

Ruzek was the kid pulled straight out of the academy who happened to be incredibly good at his job without being able to explain just what he was doing right. He was mouthy and a bit of an adrenaline junkie, always the guy in the front of the formation. The complete opposite of his old man.

Disco Bob. Voight shook his head slightly, thinking back to his last conversation with the older Ruzek. " _You send him down a bad road, and I'm gonna meet you behind district and break your jaw."_

Voight snorted at the thought. He'd like to see Bob try. Besides, at least Adam was venting the anger here, in the box, and not at home. Not like some people.

"Say Felicia. Try it," Adam said, getting right in the Pope's face and raising his voice ever so slightly in an exaggerated fashion. Voight watched as one of the officer's hands found a painful hold on the base of the perp's neck, a move the Sergeant himself would likely have used. "Fe-li-cia! Fe-li-cia!"

The Pope gave a rough whimper of pain. "Fine. Felicia. But I didn't do anything."

 _Wrong answer._ No sooner had Voight had the thought before Adam punched the wall with a sound of frustration and grabbed the Pope's face, forcing his head up just enough to make the bearded man squirm and grunt in discomfort. Ruzek didn't relent, getting right back up in his face and keeping his voice low yet threatening.

"You're gonna tell me what you did to that girl, you're gonna tell me. Understand? Or I swear to god I'm gonna take you for a drive, and I'm the only one comin' back."

The was one tense moment, the only sound the Pope's frantic breathing, before he broke. "She did it for the cause."

Ruzek flung the Pope's head away in disgust, finally stepping back. Antonio took the opportunity to step in between the two, hands raised. His lips finally loosened, the Pope gave it all up, his voice shaky and his eyes constantly darting towards Ruzek, who sat heavily at his side. With a sigh of satisfaction, Voight glanced at the figure behind him.

"Well, that was interesting."

"Yeah." Olinsky responded, his own voice characteristically low. The detective frowned, one hand coming up to rub at his scruff contemplatively.

"If I didn't know any better," Voight continued, "I would'a sworn that was a younger version of you in there."

Alvin didn't have any response to that, instead pushing off the back wall and exiting the room.

* * *

"Adam!"

Opening the driver's side door, Adam turned around to see his older partner walking towards him, hands crammed deep in his pockets against the chilled air. "Al. What's up?"

Once he reached Adam's car Olinksy didn't say anything, instead looking the younger man up at down. Ruzek shifted from foot to foot, uncomfortable with the scrutiny. "What?"

"That, uh," Alvin paused, struggling to figure out exactly what he was trying to say. "That was an interesting interrogation."

"Oh." Ruzek ducked his head down, a light blush coloring his cheeks. He seemed suddenly very interested in the toes of his boots. "Yeah, I, uh, I just wanted the truth."

Olinksy nodded understanding, still trying to figure out how to convey his muddled thoughts. Watching Adam from behind the mirror the older detective had felt a weird mixture of pride and absolute horror. Voight was right; everything Ruzek had done in that interrogation room, from getting in the perp's face, maintaining physical contact and that low, menacing voice, all of that had been textbook Olinksy. And Ruzek hadn't been simply doing a cheap imitation, because it worked. The Pope had cracked and spilled everything.

But was that the kind of cop he wanted Adam to be? While force and intimidation were effective, Alvin was all too aware of how much his tactics had cost him over the years. Realizing what needed to be said, Olinksy sighed. "You crossed a line, kid."

Several different emotions flickered across Ruzek's face before he settled on angry confusion. "Wait, _I_ crossed a line? Are kiddin'- I did exactly what _you_ would've done!"

"Yeah, well, we both know how well my life's turned out."

"Wow." Ruzek let out a rush of breath, stepping away briefly and rubbing at the stubble on his chin. "So that's how it is, huh? You and Voight get to do whatever the hell you want and I gotta play the freakin' choir boy?"

Olinksy clenched his jaw in frustration. Figures the kid would take this way out of proportion. "Yeah, that's right, sucks for you."

"That's not-" Adam cut himself off with a frustrated growl. Slamming his car door shut and locking it, he started to walk away. "You know what, forget it. I'll see you tomorrow, Al."

"You forgetting your car, kid?" Olinsky called after his retreating back. "Hey!"

"I'm walking!"

* * *

"Mmf. Burgess."

Olinksy could picture Kim's face, scrunched up as she groped for the light in her pitch dark bedroom. "Burgess, sorry to wake you. It's Olinksy."

"Al?" Kim cursed softly. "Do you know what time it is?"

"Yeah, sorry about that." Al said, glancing at his watch. 2 am. "Hey, is Ruzek with you?"

There was a brief pause. "A-Adam? No, I-"

"I'm not stupid, Burgess." Olinksy said, pulling his beanie down lower over his ears. "The numbskull decided to walk from the district. I've been sitting on his place and he still hasn't gotten back."

That seemed to get the patrol woman's attention. "No, no, he's not here. Is everything okay? Do you need me to-"

"No, I'm sure he's fine." Olinksy replied, cutting her off again. "Never mind I called. Night."

Before Burgess could get another word in, Olinsky ended the call, shifting uncomfortably in the driver's seat of his car. Cracking his neck, Olinsky peered into his rearview mirror.

Speak of the devil.

Adam Ruzek was strolling up the street, brown furrowed and feet dragging. Watching the younger officer start to stagger up the stairs to his building, Olinsky got out of his car and joked easily across the street. "Ruzek."

Ruzek jerked around, only to groan when he saw who it was. "You stalkin' me, Al?"

"You been drinking?" Adam didn't answer. "Let's go inside, huh?"

Ruzek snorted, but he turned back around and fished his key out of his pants pocket. "Oh yeah, sure, let's go inside."

Ruzek hit the lights once both men were inside before kicking off his boots and removing his jacket. He didn't say anything to Olinsky, who peered curiously around the apartment. He knew Ruzek had downgraded after breaking things off with Wendy, but even compared to Halstead's place the apartment was sparse. He had a comfortable looking couch, a worn coffee table, and a single bookshelf of well-read paperbacks. No kitchen table, but there were bar stools shoved up under the kitchen counter. The only new appliance in sight was the TV. Olinksy had expected as much from the cop son of a cop. If there was one thing you didn't make on the job, it was lots of money.

"Hey, you want anything? Coffee?" Ruzek called from the kitchen, keeping his back to his older partner. "I mean, since I doubt you'll be leaving anytime soon."

"Coffee'd be nice." Olinsky replied, taking a seat on the couch and listening to the sounds of Ruzek banging around in the kitchen.

The younger man appeared a few minutes later and set a steaming mug down on the table in front of Al. "Thanks."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, Olinsky sipping at the warm drink and Ruzek staring unfocused across the room. When Ruzek showed no intention of saying anything, Olinsky sighed. "Adam, look, about before-"

"No, I get it, you were right." Ruzek shook his head tiredly. "I crossed a line. I get it."

"Do you now?" Olinksy eyed the younger man, his tone slightly disbelieving.

Ruzek glanced at his mentor before shrugging. "Yeah, I think so. It's just, I'm tired of people underestimating me."

Now it was Olinksy's turn to look confused. "Underestimating you? What's that mean?"

"I mean, I get it, I don't have the a bunch of years on the job, I never even technically graduated from the academy. I was a construction worker who wanted to be a cop like his dad." Now Ruzek seemed to grow uncomfortable with sharing so much, and crossed his arms over his chest. "I know I've still got a lot to learn, but I think I know the difference between right and wrong."

Olinsky looked at Ruzek searchingly. He'd never seen this insecurity before. Ruzek always seemed cocky, diving into everything head first and with every ounce of energy he had. It had never occurred to him that maybe Ruzek had to do everything that way because he was still learning as he went.

"Yeah, kid, I know you do."

"Yeah?" Adam finally turned to look Al in the face, his eyes searching. "Then why can't you trust that I know how far I'm willing to go?"


End file.
